Because of modern trends in marketing and packaging, many food items and condiments are brought to the table in the form of prepackaged, individual servings A non-exhaustive list of such prepackaged items includes sugar, sweetener, salt, pepper, butter, jelly, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, tartar sauce, salad dressings, syrup, honey, crackers and the like. Once the contents of the single serving packages has been dispensed, the problem arises as to what to do with the empty, throw-away package.
As a consequence of the above, it is not unusual during the course of a meal in a restaurant or other food-serving establishment to accumulate a considerable amount of such trash. The usual practice is to collect the empty packages on the edge of your plate, on the table adjacent your plate, on a butter plate or in an ashtray (if present). All of these solutions are generally unsatisfactory, annoying and unsightly. A small substantially flat butter plate is not well suited for this purpose. An ashtray is also generally too small, and if filled with paper, plastic or foil packaging, it can no longer be used for its intended purpose.
The present invention is directed to a container intended for and designed for this very purpose. The container has an open top and is of such size as to accommodate the amount of trash accumulated during an average meal. The container is provided with a transparent peripheral outer wall and a bottom. In one embodiment, the container is provided with a peripheral inner wall with a space between the inner and outer wall for the receipt of a sheet-like insert containing decorative and/or informative indicia visible through the transparent outer peripheral wall. In another embodiment, the container is provided with a removable liner having decorative and/or informative indicia printed thereon, again visible through the transparent outer peripheral wall.
In both embodiments, the container can be readily emptied, cleaned and reused, and keeps the dining table free of unsightly wrappings and the like.